by Kari Trumbo
He looked up as she entered, “Is there something you need, boss-lady?” He smiled at her discomfort in his playful way.
“I, uh, I dropped off the lists.”
“Good, did you have any trouble?”
Trouble? She, thought to herself. The only trouble I’m having is looking where I’m supposed to. Chase had never been like that. He’d worked hard, yes, but he’d always relied on the horses to do the pulling and pushing for him.
“Yes…no…I mean…”
“Yes,” he said, laughing. “No, maybe?”
She chewed her bottom lip then replied, “I met Mr. Scott…the younger and more agile.” She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him.
“Oh.” The realization of what she was saying plain on his face. “What happened?”
Meg told him the whole story, forcing her eyes to stay directly on his. She wished the whole time he would put his shirt back on. She thought he might be leaving it off on purpose, to make her uncomfortable.
“Meghan, I want to assure you I’ll keep an eye on Mark. If he can’t live up to expectations, he’ll be gone. Right away.”
“That’s all well and good Jax, but what if he decides to defy you in the middle of Nebraska? Do you leave him there? Send him back alone? Or, do I continue to pay someone I can’t trust because you’re mid-drive?” Her hands were shaking in anger. She was sure he was trying to make her uncomfortable. There seemed to be no other reason for him to stand there in that state of undress.
“I’d send him home. It isn’t my job to nanny him. If he can’t follow a couple rules and do his share, he won’t get paid and he’ll be sent home.”
“And you’ll be left one man short.” She pointed out.
“No, I already accounted for the fact that he won’t do his share. He was never going to make what the others will. And one man, who’ll be my right-hand man along with Pete, will make a little more. Same amount of money spent and same amount of work done, but I wanted to give Mark one last chance to do something worthwhile with his life.”
“Next time you decide to give someone a chance, do it with your own resources.” Meg turned on her heel and made it to the door before she heard Jax clear his throat.
“Yes.” She fumed at the interruption to her angry exit.
“I…can’t get my shirt back on. Getting it off was easy, all I had to do was lower my arms. I’ve sat here for an hour trying to put it back on and I can’t lift my arms high enough to do it.” He was humble and her anger melted. “I hate to ask you, but can you help me?” His eyes were so soft, how could she have been so wrong about this man? Well, he’s given you enough reason to be suspicious.
Meg trudged over to him. Admitting she was wrong was difficult. She took his shirt and pulled it up his arms, careful not to touch his skin. He then looked up at her and she realized he was asking her with his eyes to button the top few buttons. He was so tired from trying he couldn’t lift them high enough. Take care of my sheep, Meg thought, and realized she’d made assumptions about him that weren’t true. He’d been respectful the whole time he was here. She hitched her breath and buttoned the top three buttons. When she reached the fourth, she felt his hands touch hers as he took over the task, able to lift his arms high enough to do the bottom few. His hands were rough, strong, and warm. She pulled her hands back like they’d been burned where he touched her. She rushed from the room, and heard him chuckle at her as she sped down the hall.
Chapter Nine
The day of the big move out to the new bunk house, Meg sat at her table drinking coffee. Jax took careful steps to the door carrying his bedroll. He paused at the door.
“I’m moving out. The men should be here in the next hour or so.” He didn’t wait for a reply. Meg felt the huge house close in on her. The quiet dismayed Meg because it left her to think about Chase all over again. It suffocated her until she had to get out. She washed her cup and put on her bonnet to get some air. Jax popped his head back in the door.
“The men are here earlier than I expected. Can I trouble you to stay inside today while I show them around and get them settled? Establish rules and boundaries.”
“I don’t want to confuse them. I won’t be managing them, you will. If you think this is best, then I will agree.” Meg’s shoulders slumped and she removed her bonnet, hanging it back on the peg.
“Rose?” she called to the walls.
“Yes, Meg?” She heard from one of the bedrooms.
“We need to clean and air out Lizzy’s room. Today’s as good a day as any.”
She went to her sister’s old room carrying a rag and cleaning bucket. Knowing it had to be ready, she still had no idea where to begin. Meg dusted everything in Lizzy’s room while Rose scrubbed the floor but they decided against taking any of the furniture out. She took all the linens off the bed and uncovered the other furniture for washing.
Lizzy would be angry either way. If she cleaned it out and threw out something that was important to Lizzy, she would never hear the end of it. The other option was to not throw out anything and make her mad for not making it appropriate for a grown woman. It would give Lizzy something to do for a few days when she first came. Maybe even keep her busy until they left on the drive. It was so important Lizzy not know too much about the drive. She’d tell their mother and that would put brakes on the whole thing. There’d been cattle on Whitte Ranch for over thirty years, learning that era was ending wouldn’t be well-received.
The task was all too short and Meg sighed, looking around for something else to do. She sent Rose home, then she grabbed her newspaper from a few days prior and went out the side door to sit on the porch and read in the shade. This was still her home, she didn’t need to ask anyone if it was okay to read outside.
The paper was full of advertisements to “return vigor and vitality with one easy cure, tailored suits for only ten dollars, take the sting out of any burn with these common household plants!”, then an advertisement caught her eye and made her giggle into her hands. “Wanted: Wife. Neer Canida border. No childrn. Preecher watein ‘reply to newspaper’.” Meg thought it was unfortunate the man at the newspaper office hadn’t tried to help the poor man sound a bit more refined. Then again, maybe there was a reason for it. She finished reading the paper when she heard someone calling her name come around the house.
“There you are,” called Jax. He looked frantic. “I was beginning to worry something had happened to you.”
“What in the world could happen to me out here?” She stood and met him at the base of the stairs. “I was just cooling down in the shade. Are you ready to introduce me to the hands?”
“If you are.” He smiled, the frown on his face fading.
“I spoke to the men about the drive. We all agree, we need to leave as soon as possible to make it back before cold weather sets in. Especially that far north.”
“You’ve lost a bit of warm weather. Will you be able to make it back before first snow?”
“We should, if everything goes well. At the very least, we’ll get the cattle there and we can go quicker on the way back.”
Meg nodded. “Will you need Pete, or can he stay here?”
“I need every man. This’s no small herd you have. If you can hire a few other men to replace him, we could consider it, but he’s really good. What’ll my men be doing once there’re no cattle to look after?” Jax looked at her with skepticism.
“There’ll be work for you. It was, in fact, why I asked about Pete. If he were able to stay, I could get our new livestock here before you get back.” She tried not to sound too excited, unable to look at him for the mild deception.
“We could leave some of the cattle here. There’s no need to start all over again.”
Meg eyed him for a moment, angry that he would think her so mindless. “I’m not planning to ever have cattle again. When you get back, we’ll discuss my plans. But if you’re so business-wise, you should be able to figure it out by looking at the new barn.” Sh
e got her own jab in.
They meandered to the bunkhouse. All of the new hands sat outside on cut logs upended like stools. None of them appeared to care when Jax and Meg approached. Her hackles were up when she saw Mark among them. She had hoped Jax would pick someone else, but she’d never given the order expressly. She wanted to be angry, but she’d given him the authority over hiring his men. It wouldn’t be right to fight with him over it, especially not in front of the men. If Mark ever stepped out of line, Jax would be the first to hear about it. She crossed her arms over herself protecting herself from him at least in her own mind.
“Evening.” Jax tried to get their attention.
“Evenin’.” They all replied languidly. Some tipped their hats with one finger, others only smiled.
“This is Meghan Connor, owner of Whitte Ranch.”
“Ah.” Mark threw a piece of grass into the wind. “We owe the convent rules to you.” He sat on the ground and leaned back on his elbows, regarding her. His posture showing his disrespect. “Are we to have sing along hour, too? Perhaps a hymn to close the day?” He snickered.
“Keep it up, Mark, and I’ll make you take a vow of silence,” Jax growled.
The other men chuckled but had the grace to seem embarrassed by Mark’s words. Mac stood first, the others followed his lead. They came over and introduced themselves to Meg. Each spoke to her respectfully and treated her as a lady. They answered to Jax so why make this difficult? Mark didn’t get off the ground. Jax came over and kicked the sole of his boot.
“Get up and act respectable.”
“Naw, wouldn’t want to start a trend. Think I’ll just stay right here. She’s already had the pleasure of meeting me.”
Meg heard the interaction between Jax and Mark and knew that Mark had an ax to grind with her. She needed to heed Jax’s advice to remain armed and alert. It couldn’t hurt with that loose cannon around. She just couldn’t understand why Jax felt the need to have him here at all.
~~~
Meg helped the men get ready as much as she was able. While still avoiding Mark, she managed to make herself useful. She packed the wagon that would follow the drive with all of the food, goods, and medical supplies the men would need, and feed for the horses. Moving the horses they would need for the drive into the new stable allowed the men to focus on bringing the cattle up to the smaller pasture closest to the house. They would be able to drive them right out and straight north. She wanted them ready to leave in the next day or two.
Each hand would need two to three horses. When cattle wandered, they would have to chase after them. That would wear out the horse. You couldn’t stop mid-drive to rest, so more than one horse was needed for each rider. They could also then change them out for fatigue every few hours or for special jobs. Meg made sure all the horses’ shoes were in good condition and that they were healthy enough for the trip. The men had been out from sunup to sunset rounding the cattle to the pasture closest to the house. Meg was agitated and missing her conversations with Jax in the evenings.
The day before the drive Meg walked out into a cloudless day. It no longer looked like her sister would come out before they left. All the better for her. Meg hadn’t had time to prepare for Lizzy except dusting anyway. A lone rider came cantering up the road. Meg saw by the way he rode it was her father. He couldn’t have planned a more ill-timed visit, she thought. He rode right up to her, smiling. She’d been leaving her bonnet in the house, wearing the black bonnet had made her almost faint one particularly hot day so she covered her eyes with her hand.
“Afternoon, girl. What are the hands doing with all those cows?”
Meg searched her brain for a plausible response. “Some will be rebranded. Others are going to South Dakota, thinning the herd.” It wasn’t quite a lie, some of those cows would be sold and rebranded, and others would be bought for other reasons.
He nodded. “I see the barn is finished, too. We’ll need it for calving next spring. I don’t remember seeing that on the bill?”
“I’m sure we’ll need it.” She turned away from him, the deception choking her.
“Well, I came out to see if the men were working hard, but mostly to let you know Lizzy decided at the last minute to go to Europe with your mother, instead of moving out here.”
Meg smiled, and thought, now I know why he’s so happy. “When do they leave?” she asked, knowing by his look they’d already left without him telling her.
“They left yesterday.” He kicked a stray rock. “Any work for an old man to do? I’ve got the whole day.”
“You’ll have to ask Jax.” She waved in Jax’s direction. “I’ve turned over all the day-to-day work to him. If he has trouble or needs anything, then he asks me. He has proven to be trustworthy and leads the men quite well.”
“Then I’ll find him and ask. It’ll feel good to put in a good hard day.” He left her to find Jax.
Lucky for Meg, Jax understood the quantity of cattle going on the drive had to remain between them, a secret from her father. So, she trusted he wouldn’t share that with him.
Meg wasn’t sure how long her father stayed on the ranch to work, but when she came out in the evening to groom a few horses she didn’t see him. She brought two horses in from the range. After making sure they had proper bedding and some oats, she brushed them down. She then brought in the last of the five horses they kept stalled at night, talking to them in her gentle way. She put down her brush and continued to tell the horse what she would do next, lifting each of its hooves and looking at its shoes. Checking for stones or grit in the tender center of the horse’s hoof.
Brushing the horse’s mane, she heard the barn door open and slam closed. She continued humming, calming the mare who stomped and twitched, nickering a warning. She petted the horse’s muzzle and continued grooming it.
The horse yanked its head away from her and whinnied. Hands clamped onto her waist, yanking her from the stall. The hands held her captive. She fought against arms too strong to break free. The horse stomped and yanked on her bonds.
Yelling and kicking, Meg thrashed against the man holding her. He reeked of alcohol. She dug her nails into his the flesh of his arm, he cursed and spun her quick enough to crack her neck. He slammed his mouth against hers, the stench so strong she wretched. He threw her away from him and scowled down at her. She covered her face to protect it from the impending blow.
Chapter Ten
Mark crawled on top of her and she peeled her hands from her face to push him away. His gaze burned into her. She kicked him but he caught her ankle. Screaming, she crab-walked backward until he was forced to let go, up a small hill of hay behind her. She hit her head hard against the wall and could not get enough footing to use the wall to push herself up. She kicked at him again and shrieked as loud as she could make her voice.
So focused on the danger, she only perceived a blur of someone running into the barn. Mark lifted off of her, she saw his eyes widen in shock. Jax had him by the hair and the back of the pants. He flung Mark against an empty stall. Jax knelt in front of her, she yanked her skirt down over her ankles as she pulled her knees up to her chest willing herself not to cry in front of her men.
“Are you all right, boss-lady?” His voice sounded far away. She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t trust herself not to scream or break down. When she didn’t answer him, he stood and rounded back on Mark.
Jax didn’t yell, he didn’t have to. His voice held more threat than any weapon. “Mark. Pack your roll. I can’t believe I trusted you, and this is how you thank me? Head back into town with Gus. You can explain to him on the long ride in why he shouldn’t beat you to a pulp and leave you in a ditch. You filthy drunk. I never should’ve taken a gamble on you. Get out of here.”
Mark picked himself up one limb at a time, rubbing the shoulder that hit the wall, then the back of his head where his hair had been yanked. He scowled at Jax.
“So you get a taste of her and none of the rest of us do? We get to sweat and
work and you got to stay in the ranch house with the little missus? How nice.” He sneered. “Does she purr after you pet her?”
Jax pulled back and landed a punch so forceful it knocked Mark back a few feet into the wall.
“Don’t ever talk to her that way again. She didn’t do anything to deserve that from you.” He clenched his teeth, flexing his hand.
“Ever wonder why you’re always on the run, Jax?”
“Now is not the time, Mark.”
“You are a worthless waste of breath, Jax McCartney, but I’ll make plenty off you.”
“If you think I’m paying you for coming out here, you’d better think again.”
Mark laughed a drunken guffaw that almost made him fall backward. “What you don’t know…”
“I know enough. Just shut your mouth or I’ll lay you out again,” Jax growled.
“Ha. You think you have the upper hand? I wonder what everyone in town’ll say when they find out one of those fancy, uppity, church-goin’ ladies has been sharing her house with the dirty little ranch foreman. They’ll all gasp with delight and fan themselves before they pass on the good news.” He shoved the words through clenched teeth. “Bossy, gossipy, old, church ladies are perfect for making sure everyone gets the word.”
“You’d ruin her reputation because you can’t keep your nose out of the bottle?” Jax advanced on him again.
“No, I’d ruin her reputation because it’ll be fun to watch. This wasn’t much fun. It could’ve been, but you broke the mood.” He leered at Meg who’d gotten up and backed herself toward the door.
Jax grabbed Mark by the arm and twisted it behind him and led him out of the stable.
~~~
Gus saw Jax drag a young man from the barn. He recognized him as the son of the local merchant. That boy was trouble and Gus knew it. It didn’t take a long time living in town to know that piece of work. He seemed to be continuously drunk and keeping his mouth shut was a difficult problem for him. Gus had often wished he’d had a good reason to teach that boy some manners.
